Dr. Caroline Leaf Podcast

For many of us, trauma is something with a capital “T”, a big event or situation, such as a car accident or pandemic, that impacts us in dramatic and unforeseen ways. Yet, as I discuss in this week’s blog and podcast with licensed clinical social worker and therapist Alyssa Mancao, trauma with a lowercase “t” is something many people have to deal with on a daily basis. This kind of trauma, institutional or otherwise, is often normalised and suppressed, which can have a lasting impact on someone’s mental and physical health, compelling them to fight for survival in the face of persistent stressors in their environment. Thankfully, as Alyssa has seen in her social work and her private practice, many people, given the right help, can and do recover from trauma and learn how to reconnect to themselves and their communities in deep and meaningful ways. How? Alyssa focuses on bringing back the human element in therapy, going beyond evidence-based practices and focusing on the individual’s unique story and experienc